Personal Branding Like The Stars: How A Systematic Approach Will Revolutionize Your Business (from FastCompany)

BY NICK NANTON AND MIKKEL PITZNER

Whether you love Kim Kardashian or you can’t stand her, you must acknowledge her ability to leverage media in order to create constant publicity. Whether it’s appearing on the cover of a book or simply attending church on Easter Sunday, Kardashian never fails to generate headlines.
She isn’t alone–Hollywood is brimming with actors, actresses, and celebrities who have learned to create a constant buzz even as they live exceptionally fast-paced lives.

We have the same goals–for ourselves, and for our clients. Granted, most of us are pursuing publicity and exposure on a smaller scale, but the objective is still to create consistent exposure in order to build credibility and visibility.

In today’s “social” world, everyone with an Internet connection has the ability to reach an audience numbering in the millions. (In fact, a 2011 study reveals that one out of every nine people on the planet has a Facebook account.) So why do most business owners fail to leverage branding and marketing tools to their fullest?

Because they are too busy running their business to even think about growing it! If we’re honest, most of us will admit that marketing tends to happen in spurts, not consistently.

Sustained growth requires that you adopt a systematic approach to branding and marketing. You can’t pursue marketing “when you feel like it,” because the realities of running a business mean that you will often go weeks or months without doing anything marketing related. We recommend to each of our clients that they create systems designed to meet their marketing and branding objectives. For instance:

1) Dedicate 30 minutes twice a week for blogging and article writing. This ensures a consistent presence in the blogosphere and will ultimately build a loyal following, many of whom will become customers or referral sources in the future.

2) Make social media part of your morning routine, like checking your email or even brushing your teeth. Social media is about building relationships and reinforcing your brand, and you can’t be effective without a consistent presence. If you can’t commit to this yourself, assign a member of your team to the task.

3) Utilize services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to constantly search for opportunities to gain exposure. Being quoted in an authoritative media outlet such as The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal provides a massive credibility boost. But spending time each day pursuing these opportunities simply isn’t realistic. Services like HARO allow a business owner to quickly scan an email each day in search of an opportunity.

How can you consistently generate publicity for yourself and your business without spending hours each day focused on marketing? You must incorporate it within your daily life. You may not need to become a household name like Kim Kardashian, but if you can regularly generate headlines within your market, your business will reap the benefits.
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Nick Nanton (@nicknanton) is a best-selling author who consults for small- and medium-sized businesses on personality driven marketing, personal brand positioning, guaranteed media, and mining hidden business assets. He offer free articles, white papers, and case studies at celebritybrandingagency.com. Mikkel Pitzner is a partner of marketing and trailer rental company, Freetrailer, which currently operates throughout Denmark and Sweden. Mikkel, also know as The Automated Millionaire, is also a best-selling author and speaker and shows entrepreneurs how to create a business that will provide them with the lifestyle of their choice while taking them off the treadmill of their job, so they can spend time on things of their choosing.

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Some of the projects that I have chosen to park until further notice:
TP (I really want this one to come into fruition, but I just do not have the time resources available to make it happen. I will revisit this one later)
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